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Anandamide and other N ‐acylethanolamines in human tumors
Author(s) -
Schmid Patricia C.,
Wold Lester E.,
Krebsbach Randy J.,
Berdyshev Evgueni V.,
Schmid Harald H. O.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
lipids
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.601
H-Index - 120
eISSN - 1558-9307
pISSN - 0024-4201
DOI - 10.1007/s11745-002-0978-z
Subject(s) - anandamide , endocannabinoid system , ethanolamine , acylation , chemistry , biochemistry , biosynthesis , lipidology , clinical chemistry , in vitro , biology , enzyme , cannabinoid receptor , receptor , agonist , catalysis
Long‐chain N ‐acylethanolamines (NAE), including the endocannabinoid, anandamide, accumulate in mammalian tissues under a variety of pathological conditions. They have also been shown to inhibit the growth of various cancer cell lines in vitro . Here, we report the presence, in widely differing amounts (3.88–254.46 pmol/μmol lipid P), of NAE and their precursor phospholipids in various human tumors and some adjacent unaffected tissue. Anandamide ranged from 1.5 to 48% of total NAE, and incubation of tissue homogenates suggested possible NAE biosynthesis by both the established transacylation‐phosphodiesterase pathway via N ‐acyl PE and by direct N‐acylation of ethanolamine.